Bonnie Canal, MBCP is an internationally recognized leader in both community and business resilience innovations and strategies. This is achieved by engaging the entire business’s entire organization and with a keen focus on the key leadership personnel. Bonnie has over 30 years’ experience the Information Technology Sector with the last 12 specializing in Business Resilience.

Bonnie is an instructor for the Disaster Recovery Institute International, teaching the BCLE 2000 and BCP 501 classes and is a FEMA approved instructor and through the University of Hawaii teaches Community Resilience, Planning for Disaster Debris Manager, Hurricane Awareness, Flooding Hazards: Science and Preparedness, Climate Adaptation Planning for Emergency Management and Social Media for Natural Disaster Response and Recovery. She is also well known for her classes in Business Response and Recovery, Public-Private Partnerships, Insurance, Risk Management and Business Continuity for SMB’s taught around the United States.

As part of the leadership team, Bonnie is working with DRII’s, HUB of Resilience and Resilient Enterprise Award. She established the guidelines and processes for the DRII HUB of Resilience Award and leading the efforts in bringing this opportunity to more communities around the world. And continuing these efforts she is working with the Hub of Resilience NYU Langone Medical Center. These efforts are to create a model for resiliency and preparedness in the development of a Resilience Plan. This Plan will incorporate a comprehensive set of procedures that will aid in preparing for potentially adverse situations.

Bonnie was inducted into the Order of the Sword & Shield National Honor Society at St. John’s University, New York City for her work in Business Resilience.

Bonnie is the Immediate Past Chair of the Association of Contingency Planners where she served for 6 years. She is a proud native of New Orleans and has experienced what she calls, “The Katrina, Rita, Ike, Gustav, and BP Oil Spill” disasters first hand. She has had to learn how being resilience leaders and businesses to increased performance, achieve stronger relationships, and build mental toughness that we all need in today’s ever increasing busy world.

In my work with C-Level executives, government officials, and business owners I have found the very best way to start is defining who the ideal customers and markets are, and how the company’s services will impact them. Those fundamentals drive other changes that need to occur, whether in sales, leadership, or operations.

All meaningful positive change depends on uniting leadership, employees, and systems around creating great value for your ideal customers or team members. Having the experience and skill to forge those components into meaningful results is the unique, profitable value I bring to my clients.

While thinking big and pushing the envelope is my trademark, I keep my solutions simple, executable, and cost-effective because results are what really matter.

My core beliefs about business:

Growth in a company depends on engaged, versatile leadership that creates a clear employee and customer focused promise.

Companies need to be great places to work in order to grow. Leadership has to make innovation and professional growth strategic priorities.

Small teams are much more effective than large, bureaucratic ones.

You’ve got to know your risks and vulnerabilities, and not spend time on the things that are time wasters.

Leadership has to focus the company on just a few critical things at a time rather than a multitude of initiatives.

CEO’s, CFO’s, and CIO’s need to be united and coordinated in their resilience efforts.

Profits are wonderful, but a business should improve the lives of the people in their communities.

I have over 12 years of experience in business continuity, disaster recovery and community resilience innovations and strategies and over 30 years in the IT Sector. I am the immediate past National Board Chair for the Association of Continuity Professionals. (ACP) and I have earned the Master of Business Continuity Certification from the DRII.

I am a proud native of New Orleans and has experienced what I call, “The Katrina, Rita, Ike, Gustav, and BP Oil Spill” disasters first hand. I have had to learn how being resilience leaders to increased performance, achieve stronger relationships, and build mental toughness that we all need in today’s ever increasing busy world.

For more information, get all of your questions answered, or for a complementary one hour conversation structured to your particular situation, reach out to Bonnie directly!